"Do you want some help with that?" asked Madhu to the old woman who was struggling to hold the two bags of groceries.

The old woman gave a flustered smile and answered in a soft and quavering voice, "Yes, please!"

Madhu carried the two bags and walked next to the old woman. The old woman's face was wrinkled, and her white hair was neatly tied at the back. She was a frail little thing with a slight stooping posture. She wore a long pale blue dress, its fabric worn from years of use, and a gray shawl draped over her shoulders.

"Thank you, young lady! I don't think I could have carried this all by myself."

"The pleasure is mine," said Madhu with a warm smile.

Madhu was a young woman in her early twenties. Her deep brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She was beautiful, with a round face and big round eyes. She wore a dark blouse contrasting her fair skin and a flowing dark skirt filled with floral patterns. Her trendy purse was slung across her shoulders.

"I am Sheela; what is your name?" asked the old woman.

"I am Madhu."

"Are you a college student?"

"Until recently, I was. Now I am looking for a job."

"You are a good-looking woman; I am sure you can easily get the role of a model."

"That's the hope!"

"Do you have a boyfriend?" asked Sheela with a playful smile.

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Old hag! She just won't stop yapping. I hope her house isn't too far; these bags are heavy.

Madhu carried her bags all the way to Sheela's house, which was a few meters away in a narrow, dingy, and silent alley. It felt like she had walked for an hour. Sheela kept conversing with Madhu all the way, and she had to pretend like she was interested in it. Sheela's slow walking didn't help either. 

"Please come in and have a cup of coffee as a token of my gratitude," said Sheela.

Why else did you think I did all this?

Madhu looked at the plain red building that was Sheela's house. It had been worn and torn over the years. She looked around to see that no one else was in the alley, and there weren't any cameras. It seemed a perfect opportunity, but she still had to play a bit.

"No, ma'am. I don't want to trouble you," Madhu said with an innocent grin.

"Please, I insist!"

"Okay, I don't want to hurt your feelings."

Madhu entered Sheela's house and locked the door. It was a small and dusty house with no natural lighting. Sheela turned on an incandescent bulb that emitted a sinister yellow light. The hallway only had two brown sofas that looked like they had not been brown originally. They faced an old television set with an antenna wire popping out and a small round wooden table separating the sofas and the television set. The hall and kitchen were separated by a divider. Madhu placed the groceries on the divider and sat on a brown sofa that seemed to have not been brown originally.

"Hey kitty, where are you? Hey, kitty!" said Sheela with tremor in her voice.

Sheela had turned her back to Madhu as she took out the cat's food, placed it on the kitchen counter, and made a few whistling and clicking sounds to get her cat out of hiding. Madhu used this opportunity to open her purse and pull out the revolver. The sleek and dark revolver shone under the light. She took hold of the remote on the table, turned on the television set, and increased its volume.

Sheela was startled by the sudden sound from the television and turned around as hurriedly as she could; before she could register anything, Madhu had placed a bullet in her head.

"Die, you old hag!" said Madhu, her beautiful face looking less beautiful. Her smile, which was warm and innocent a while ago, now looked sinister. Sheela thumped to the floor, lifeless as an old pop song played on the television. Madhu realized that her hands wouldn't shake anymore while pulling the trigger. A calmness filled her as she carefully took the casing that had fallen on the floor, placed the gun and the casing back in her purse, and slung it across her shoulders.

Just when she was about to leave, she heard someone sobbing. Between sniffs and the pop song, a kid's voice said faintly, "Mommy! Don't leave me!"

Madhu stopped in her tracks; she could never forget that voice, even if she wanted to.

"Mommy, will you not play with me?" continued the faint voice.

"Suraj!" Madhu turned around and ran toward the voice, her heart beating fast. The sound was coming from behind a door next to the television set. She burst open the door to see her beloved son, but no one was inside. Only Sheela's black cat was sitting on the closed lid of the toilet. The cat looked at her and meowed again. 

Suraj… Mommy misses you and wants to play with you, too!

Madhu left the bathroom and main doors open as she left quickly, and the silent alley was now filled with an old pop song.